A messy, dirty marketplace at midnight. The two of them stood before a wooden door, secretly listening against it. You Mingxu was fine, her movements professional and crisp. He himself was half-crouching, his posture quite ungraceful, his whole being radiating awkwardness. But back then he didn’t care, and she seemed used to it. While she concentrated on listening, he watched her, his eyes filled with deep admiration and tenderness.

Yin Feng felt his heart being struck heavily, filled with both sourness and bitterness. He wasn’t sure if it was for her or his past self. By now, he could calmly accept these emotional surges from deep within his body, even somewhat enjoying them.

Enjoying the sweetness and torment she once brought him.

Yin Feng collected himself, his gaze returning to the woman in the distance. He realized that this was how they once were—sharing both joy and sorrow, depending on each other for survival.

Back then, he was hopelessly foolish, hopelessly in love.

The police broke into the room.

After brief chaos, shouts, and sounds of struggle, You Mingxu, slightly breathless, peeked out from the doorway and nodded once to Yin Feng, signaling it was safe. Yin Feng had already composed himself, watching her current appearance—strikingly handsome. He quickly followed her inside.

No guns were fired—the best possible outcome.

The three suspects were now handcuffed behind their backs, held down by several officers, kneeling on the ground. After closing the door, Jing Ping and others searched the room, discovering several packages of drugs. Jing Ping weighed the drugs in his hand, sat down in front of Sister Yun, and asked, “What brings you to Hunan?”

Sister Yun glanced at him once—this man emanated a familiar, frightening aura. She looked toward the door again, lowered her head, and remained silent.

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan routinely searched the room for anything potentially valuable, including shopping receipts on the table, parking tickets, and items discarded in the trash…

Sister Yun wouldn’t talk, but Jing Ping wasn’t in a hurry—they could take their time questioning her at the station. He picked up Sister Yun’s phone, its screen still lit, accessed it directly, and checked the call and message records. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Sister Yun’s expression change.

It seemed they had already established contact.

Jing Ping slowly formed a plan in his mind, instructing the others: “Keep it quiet, restore everything afterward.”

Sister Yun’s eyes flashed with alarm as she watched this fair-skinned police officer bend down, his monolid eyes fixed on her. Sister Yun felt a hint of fear—like being stalked by a poisonous wolf…

“Don’t disturb the other guests when we leave,” Jing Ping ordered again, looking at Sister Yun with a smile.

Sister Yun then knew she had encountered a formidable opponent who thoroughly understood their operations.

As Jing Ping examined the other items found in the room, You Mingxu asked him, “What’s your plan?”

Jing Ping glanced back at Sister Yun and said, “First take her back to the station, break her down. Then have her continue contact with the other party.”

It was a good idea. You Mingxu’s eyes lit up as she smiled. Jing Ping also smiled slightly. They didn’t need to say more, turning around simultaneously while wiping the smiles from their faces.

Yin Feng stood nearby. These trivial matters of arrest and search required no intervention from him. But he saw the wordless exchange between these two with perfect clarity, his chest tightening with jealousy. Yet You Mingxu hadn’t even looked at him.

Just then.

A “knock knock” sounded at the door.

The room full of police officers fell silent. As Sister Yun started to move, Xu Mengshan and two officers quickly covered the mouths of the three suspects, pinning them firmly to the ground.

Jing Ping and You Mingxu exchanged glances, both drawing their guns and moving silently toward the door.

“Knock knock—” Two more knocks.

Jing Ping gave You Mingxu a look. She disguised her voice and asked vaguely, “Who is it?”

The person outside spoke in a low voice: “Are you the friends from Yunnan? We’re here to discuss the walnut and mushroom business.”

You Mingxu looked at Jing Ping. He was stunned for just a moment before pressing himself against the wall, signaling the others to quickly hide. Fortunately, Sister Yun had booked a suite, providing ample space. Yin Feng followed Xu Mengshan behind a door, and everyone concealed themselves in corners invisible from the entrance.

You Mingxu slowly exhaled.

The visitor’s greeting revealed important information. By asking if they were from Yunnan, it suggested they likely hadn’t met before.

In drug dealing circles, photos were rarely exchanged before meetings to prevent leaks.

Moreover, if they knew Sister Yun’s appearance, she could claim to be Xiao Lan delivering the goods.

You Mingxu opened the door a crack, gun tucked under her shirt at her back, eyes coolly examining the visitors.

The man seemed surprised to find such a beautiful woman answering the door. He asked, “Sister Yun?”

You Mingxu didn’t answer immediately, studying him for a moment before nodding.

The visitor was a young man around twenty-six or twenty-seven, with a crew cut, square face, and ordinary features, wearing a down jacket and jeans. Two men of similar age stood behind him. They all looked like ordinary passersby.

The young man extended his hand: “I’m Ah Hua. The boss sent me to pick you up.”

You Mingxu smiled slightly, glancing left and right down the hallway. Just then, a door opened nearby, and two hotel guests emerged with their luggage. You Mingxu’s expression remained unchanged as she lowered her voice: “Come in and talk.”

Behind her, several police officers stood ready with their weapons.

But Ah Hua said, “No need. Wasn’t it agreed? The boss is waiting. Take our car.” He turned to leave, while the two young men behind him watched You Mingxu.

You Mingxu hesitated.

The guests from next door were passing by.

You Mingxu scanned the young men’s waists, noticing at least one had a suspicious bulge.

Ah Hua turned to look at her, showing slight confusion and impatience.

Just then, You Mingxu felt someone press lightly against her back. She knew who it was and what it meant. He decided to let her play along with the situation.

You Mingxu quickly assessed the situation and made her decision.

No one had expected the contact person to send someone at this time. It seemed Sister Yun had already arranged this meeting time with them. That explained why she had been so nervous earlier, constantly looking around. If the police acted now, first, they had guns, and hallway guests could be caught in the crossfire or even taken hostage; second, Ah Hua mentioned meeting the boss—if they arrested them now and alerted the boss, this hard-won lead would be lost! Getting more intelligence would only become more difficult.

You Mingxu said, “Fine.” She turned and called out, “Ah Shan, Ah Ping, come with me to meet the boss.” Her gaze slid past Yin Feng behind Xu Mengshan. He stared at her, but You Mingxu calmly looked away.

Xu Mengshan and Jing Ping concealed their guns. Jing Ping quickly loosened his collar and ruffled his hair—the previously cold and professional police officer instantly took on an air of reckless abandon. Xu Mengshan watched in amazement, thinking “damn,” and followed suit, maintaining a stern expression as he followed You Mingxu.

The three exited, closing the door. Ah Hua turned to see two men standing behind You Mingxu and frowned, asking, “What are you doing?”

You Mingxu said flatly, “My brothers. They’re trustworthy.”

Ah Hua said, “That’s not how we do things. My boss doesn’t meet with random people.”

Jing Ping spoke up: “We don’t feel safe unless we’re with Sister Yun.”

Ah Hua gave a derisive laugh, leaning against the stair railing with an ambiguous tone: “Sister Yun, even Boss Sui from Yunnan only brings one person when meeting our boss. You’re just… This is Hunan, not Yunnan.”

You Mingxu didn’t know who Boss Sui was, but another criminal leader with a higher status than Sister Yun. Seeing Jing Ping’s silence, You Mingxu understood, glaring at him saying, “Who told you to talk? Fine, you two stay here.” She looked at Ah Hua with a smile: “Let’s go.”

The four took the elevator down.

As soon as they entered the elevator, the police rushed out, running down the stairs. Yin Feng also ran out, his heart sinking when he saw Xu Mengshan and Jing Ping still there. He scanned the hotel’s ground layout and parking distribution from the window, recalled the building’s structural diagram, and instantly made a decision, turning to run in the opposite direction from the police.